MONTREAL–The outspoken wife of former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion has written a scathing letter in which she questions Michael Ignatieff's ability to lead the party out of its current woes.

In a note published on her Facebook page and subsequently circulated among party members, Janine Krieber wrote Friday that the party was in full collapse and the future appeared bleak.

A fellow university professor, Krieber said party members were duped by Ignatieff and would have recognized his obvious shortcomings if they'd only taken the time to read his academic writings.

She also said the party would pay for refusing to endorse a historic left-wing coalition in an attempt to oust the Conservatives last December.

She writes that her husband was working to rebuild the party after last year's disappointing election result but had those efforts short-circuited by Ignatieff, who first dethroned Dion without a leadership race and then dumped the idea of forming a coalition with the other opposition parties.

"Stéphane was ready to take the time and the shots (against him) in order to rebuild the party," she said. "But they (party members) didn't accept the 26 per cent (of the popular vote in the last election). Now we're at 23."

Sources say Dion, a Montreal MP, was not involved in producing the note and that people in his camp persuaded Krieber, who has never shied away from expressing her opinion, to delete the message Saturday.

Attempts to reach Krieber and Dion weren't immediately successful.

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